If You're Reading This
by bogart
Summary: One shot. Teddy Lupin receives a letter from his father the night before he starts school. Reading it makes him understand things differently. Post DH. Please R&R. Rated T just to be safe.


**A/N: Ok, this has been sitting on my computer since about 12:30 am on July 22, 2007. Obviously it is Post DH, so it will have Deathly Hallows spoilers, so if you haven't read the book yet, don't read any farther. This is my little tribute to Remus and Tonks. I was very upset with what happened to them in DH. I've tried my best with this, but I'm not sure how good it is. Anyways, enjoy!**

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Teddy Lupin checked his trunk one last time. _Books…check…parchment …check…photos…no._ He stood up and went over to his bed. He dug underneath it for several moments before finding what he was looking for. He threw the photo album on top of his bed. There was a knock at his bedroom door. Teddy banged his head off the bed as he stood up. 

"Ouch!" Teddy rubbed his head and opened the door, revealing his godfather and two small boys.

"The boys wanted to say goodnight." said Harry.

Teddy smiled and bent down to give James and Albus each a hug. "Goodnight guys."

"Teddy," James said in his sweetest four year old voice, "can you change your hair again, peas?" Al nodded in agreement.

"Just once." Teddy replied. He then changed his normally brown hair to pink, blue, orange, and then back to brown. Both boys laughed at the display.

"C'mon," Harry said as he started to guide James and Al towards their bedroom. "Bedtime."

James groaned and started to protest. "But Teddy gets to stay up."

"And when you're his age you'll get to stay up too." Harry replied. "Now go before your mum yells at me for not having you in bed." James sighed and shuffled off to his room. "I'll be back in a moment." Harry whispered to his eleven year old godson. "I want a word with you."

Teddy watched Harry follow James and Albus down the hall before retreating to his bedroom. He flopped down on his bed and opened the photo album. Teddy flipped through it absentmindedly for a few moments before stopping at a picture. It was of his father. Remus couldn't have been much older than Teddy at the time of the photo. His father was sitting under a tree at Hogwarts, his hair being tossed gently by the wind. Teddy touched his own hair, the same shade of brown as his father's. Teddy flipped to the end of the book where he knew his two favorite photos were. The whole book was filled with photos of his parents separately, but he only had two of them together.

The first one was of his parents on their wedding day. His dad had an arm around his mum, smiling. Mum was waving up at him, pink hair and all. The second photo was taken on the day he was born. His mum was sitting there with a bundle of blankets in her arms. Teddy knew he was under those blankets. He could just see a tuft of green hair sticking out of the top. His father was sitting next to his mum. He seemed mesmerized by the tiny person she held in her arms. Both of them were smiling down at him.

A knock at his door disturbed Teddy. He shut the photo album and set it next to him on the bed. "Hi Uncle Harry." Teddy said to his godfather.

"What were you looking at?"

"Just pictures. Of them." Teddy replied.

Harry nodded and sat down at the edge of the bed. "You excited about tomorrow?"

"More nervous than anything, I think." Teddy said honestly. "What if I get put in the wrong house?" He looked worriedly up at Harry.

"The sorting hat is never wrong." Harry said. "It will put you in the right place."

Even though Teddy knew the answer, he had heard it many times before, he asked, "What house were my parents in?"

Harry smiled. "Your dad was in Gryffindor and your mum was in Hufflepuff."

"What house would they want me to be in?"

Harry frowned slightly. This was a new question. "I think," he said finally, "that they would be proud of you no matter what house you are put into tomorrow."

"Even if I'm in Slytherin?"

"Even if you are in Slytherin."

Teddy smiled and relaxed a little.

"I have something for you," Harry said. Teddy finally noticed the two pieces of paper his godfather was holding. Harry handed Teddy a folded piece of parchment. "This I think you will recognize as the Marauder's Map." Harry smiled as Teddy's smile widened. "You know how to work it, I know that. My only request is that when you leave school, you pass it on to James."

Teddy nodded. "Yea, James can have it when I leave," he promised, his voice filled with excitement.

"Good. This other thing, it's…it's a bit different. Ginny and I found it a few weeks ago when we were going through some old things. Some of it was your parents' belongings." Harry handed Teddy an envelope. "This is a letter to you. We found it in your dad's old stuff with instructions to give it to you when you turned 11."

Teddy stared down at it, his mind completely frozen. "Dad left this…for me?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry it is a few months late. I promise no one has read it. It's all for you." Teddy remained silent. "I'll leave you to read it yourself. If you want to talk afterwards, I'll be downstairs. Goodnight Teddy."

Teddy waited until he heard his door click shut. Then he carefully ripped the envelope open and pulled out a wad of parchment. Smoothing it out, he slowly read it.

_Theodore, _

_If you're reading this, I never got to see you grow up. If you're reading this, I never got to see you get your Hogwarts letter or go off to school for the first time. If you're reading this, I never will get to see what a wonderful man you will grow up to be. If you're reading this, I died so you could live a safe life._

_If my instructions were followed correctly, you just turned 11. Happy Birthday. I can not begin to tell you how sorry I am that I can not be there. I love you very much, Teddy. I hope that you know that. As I am writing this, we are in the middle of war. I want you to know, the reason I'm still fighting is so that you do not have to grow up in the same type of world I need, one of constant fear and worry. I want you to grow up so that you can live without having to be afraid of what is outside your door._

_I realize that you have every right to be upset with me. I hope that one day you can forgive me and understand why I did what I did. I have one request for you. Watch over your mother. I love her very much and I know she is doing a good job raising you. I can't be there for her, so you need to take my place. Be good and listen to her._

_You have a good family. Your mother, grandmother, the Weasleys, and Harry are all good people who care very much for you. Never forget that. I know that you are going to be a good man and you will do great things in your life. I have no doubts that someday we will meet and finally be a family again. _

_I love you._

_Your father,_

Remus J. Lupin

Teddy stared down at the parchment. Of course, he had heard all of this before, but this time was different. This time it was actually his dad saying it. That made it special, more important. Harry had told Teddy many, many times that his parents had loved him. Teddy had believed him, but it wasn't the same. His father taking the time to write it out took away any tiny bit of doubt Teddy had ever had.

Teddy's smile fell. _Watch over your mother._ That was the only thing his father had ever told him to do. He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Dad," he said aloud. "I'm sorry. Mum's up there with you right now. You're probably doing a better job of watching over her than me." Teddy smiled again. His dad would understand.

Teddy climbed out of bed and carefully placed the photo album, map, and letter in his trunk. He shut it and pushed it towards the door. Teddy glanced around his room once before climbing back into bed and turning off his bedroom light, still thinking about his dad's letter. _Someday we will meet._ Teddy surely hoped so. Someday, far, far, far into the future, he would finally meet his parents again. Then they would be a family again.

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**A/N: Sorry bout the ending. It was a little weak. And bout the letter. I tried to think about what Remus would say. What did you think? Please just take a moment to read and review. All criticism is welcome. **


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